Vermont High School Boys Basketball - Division I
Burlington Edges Champlain Valley - Retains No.1 Ranking
The Seahorses enter 2010 with a 7-0 record and the top ranking in Division I.
Burlington High School - 2009 Vermont Boys Basketball State Runner-up
Joe O'Shea, the lone starter from last year's team, which was upset in the state championship final by Rice Memorial, led all scorers with 23 points. Eleven of Shea's points came in the fourth quarter, including 7-10 from the free throw line and the go-ahead basket - a baseline pull-up he created off his dribble - with 1:33 on the clock.
The Red Hawks had regained the lead on a drive by Mike Clayton seconds before.
Champlain Valley Union High School
The game was well played at a brisk pace with few turnovers. CVU did turn the ball over five times in the fourth quarter, but point guard Jake Donnelly penetrated the Seahorse defense consistently, scoring 11 points himself and distributing the ball to Will Hurd (11 points) on the wing and inside to Clayton and Robert Russ.
"Turnovers weren't a problem for us as much as missing all the free throws," CVU coach Scott Bliss said. "We were 5-14, which isn't good enough against a team with someone like O'Shea, who knows how to do what it takes to win a game down the stretch. Donnelly played well for us and so did Clayton."
O'Shea Headed to Holy Cross
Burlington led 17-13 after the first quarter, then extended its lead to as much as six points in the second quarter when senior guard Brendan Corriveau sank a trio of three-pointers. Corriveau made five treys in all and totaled 21 points. O'Shea, regarded by many as Vermont's top player, scored eight points early, then was held scoreless until the third quarter when his breakaway slam revved up the hometown crowd.
"We knew going in that CVU would be tough," Burlington coach Matt Johnson said. "They have Jake (Donnelly), Robert Russ and Will Hurd and obviously Mike Clayton has given them good minutes. I really thought they outworked at times on the boards and gave us many facets of the game that we need to work on. Our offense is a work-in-progress since Joe is the only returning starter. This was Brendan's career high and those were huge points for us. Against Rutland he was cold, but came through by making a game-winning three with nine seconds left. He has also done well for us defensively. We have seen improvement from junior Curtis Rodgers and senior Jackson Grady and now we just need to make we are getting contributions on a consistent basis."
CVU's Jake Donnelly guards Tide's Codie Lawson
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